Muller with wheel assembly indirectly connected to drive shaft through independently mounted scraper blade assembly



March 5, 1957 A. SCARLETT 2,783,949 MULLER WITH WHEEL ASSEMBLY INDIRECTLY CONNECTED .TO DRIVE SHAFT THROUGH INDEPENDENTLY MOUNTED SCRAFER BLADE ASSEMBLY. Filed Feb. 26, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l q L i INVENTOR.

Y M M r W March 5, 1957 sc 2,783,949

MULLER WITH WHEEL ASSEMBLY INDIRECTLY CONNECTED TO DRIVE SHAFT THROUGH INDEPENDENTLY MOUNTED SCRAPER BLADE ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 26, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR.

United States Patent MULLER WITH WHEEL ASSEMBLY INDIRECTLY CONNECTED TO DRIVE SHAFT THROUGH 1N- DEPENDENTLY MOUNTED SCRAPER BLADE ASSEMBLY John A. Scarlett, Cincinnati, Ohio Application February 26, 1954, Serial No. 412,713

2 Claims. (Cl. 241-128) This invention relates to production type muller machines which are employed for mixing, blending, crushing, grinding and otherwise treating materials.

In United States Patent No. 2,626,758, I have disclosed a laboratory-size mulling machine which is designed to,

do such work on a small scale, simulating the operation of production type machines. In the muller device which is the subject of my patent, the mulling rollers or wheels are rotatably journalled at the opposite ends of 'a rigid, unitary cross member. The same type of construction is utilized for mounting the scraper blades, so that two independent assemblies are provided. Both of the assemblies are adapted to be engaged over a drive shaft, which extends upwardly from the center of the work table of the machine, in slip-fit relation; the muller wheel assembly being disposed above the scraper blade assembly. The simple slip-fit connection between the shaft and the two assem-- blies has several advantages. For one thing, it permits the two working parts of the muller to be removed easily for cleaning purposes. More important however, it has the advantage that the muller wheels are free 'to float vertically, so that they can adjust themselves automatically to load conditions without affecting the operation of the scraper blades.

The floating action obtained by this construction contributes greatly to the efliciency and utility of the laboratory-size machine. Floating action for the muller wheels of large production mulling machines has been recognized as a necessity, and in past constructions the muller wheels of these large machines have been individually journalled upon pivotally mounted arms, levers, bellcranks or other linkages to a rotatable head. The scraper blades were also mounted upon the head so that a large cumbersome piece of equipment resulted, with no provision being made to remove it from the machine as a unit. It is believed to be obvious that the construction of my patented machine is exceedingly simple in comparison with past productiontype machines. Despite this, it has proven highly satisfactory in commercial use.

The specific objective of the present invention is to provide a production type of muller which is as simple in construction as my laboratory-size machine but which is able to withstand the severe demands placed upon a larger machine designed to operate over longer periods. In order to fulfill this objective in a production type of machine, I have devised a novel means of mounting a muller wheel assembly and for indirectly connecting it to a drive shaft through an independently mounted scraper blade assembly, so that the muller wheels are free to float relative to the work table. In this machine the wheels float even though they are mounted upon a unitary rigid cross memher.

A production type of muller, incorporating the principles of the present invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view looking down upon a mulling machine constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2. I

It has been the custom in the past to mount production I type mnllers upon a stand which is bolted to the fioor By contrast, in the present'construction, I prefer to mount the muller upon a wheeled truck such as the one indicated at 10 so that. it may be moved readily from place to place;

The truck may include heavy casters 11 which are aflixed to the underside of a truck bed 12.

be "bolted to the top of the truck bed at one end thereof.

The muller is mounted upon a pedestal 14 which may be,

welded or bolted to the truck bed at the end thereof opposite the motor. Preferably, the pedestal is hollow and encloses a gear reduction unit, of conventional design,-

The pedestal 14 mounts the mixing box of the machine which which is in driving connection with the motor.

the gear box to the motor 13, is rotatably journalled in the turret. The upper end of the shaft extends above the turret for connection to the working parts of the muller.- In the instance shown, the turret seats an anti-friction bearing 19 which resides Within an annular seat machinedinto the upper end of the turret concentric with its verti:

cal axis. The bearing 19 serves to journal the upper end of drive shaft 18. A bushing 20 surrounds the shaft, being threaded thereon. Bushing 20 is configurated to provide an inverted cup portion 21 which encloses the upper end of the turret and which serves to prevent materials being mixed from fouling the bearing for the drive shaft. As will be seen from Figure 2, the upper portion of bushing 20 is substantially square so as to key a hub 22 of a scraper blade assembly, to be described later, to the drive shaft. The hub 22 is locked onto the bushing by means of a nut 23 which threads onto the upper end of the drive shaft. A washer 24 is interposed between the nut and the upper surface of the hub.

Two scraper blades are employed, one which is indicated at 25 is mounted upon an arm 26 which extends radially outwardly from one side of hub 22. This blade is designed to plow materials being mixed outwardly away from turret 17. The second blade provided, which is indicated.

at 27, is designed to plow material from the cylindricalwall 16 inwardly. The latter blade is carried upon an arm which extends radially outwardly and which curves up wardly from hub 22 at a place opposite arm 26, adjacent to the cylindrical Wall 16. The arched configuration for the arm 28 places its outer end substantially above the table of the machine so that it does not interfere with the materials being worked upon. The blade 27 depends from the outer end of the 'arm 28 so that its lower edge rides on the table. Both blades are angulated as shown in Figure 2 to direct the materials as has been suggested.

From the above it will be seen that the scraper blade assembly is locked directly to the drive shaft of the machine when the nut 23 is in place. By contrast, a muller roller or wheel assembly which I provide in the present construction is loosely and only indirectly connected relative to the drive shaft. In the embodiment illustrated, the muller wheel assembly includes a unitary, rigid cross member 29, and a pair of substantially large, heavy wide tread wheels 3030. The respective opposite ends of the cross member 29 are machined to provide stub shafts as shown Patented Mar. 5, 1957 An electric motor such as the one shown at 13, 'for driving the muller, may

-fo'r rot-stably journalling the respective wheels. The cross member has an cit-center hub portion31. Twoninsre sth of which is indicated by the numeral 32, depend from the underside of the cross member at the respective opposite sides of the eccentrically placed hub 22 of the scraper blade assembly. As shown in Figure 2, the hub 22 of the scraper blade assembly has an abutment 33 at each side thereof. The two abutments are designed to engage the respective pins 32 upon the rotation of the scraper blade assembly. These pins and the two 'abutments 33 constitute the only interconnection between the scraper blade assembly and the muller wheel assembly. While the underside of the cross member 29 is hollowed out to provide relief for the nut 23, this is merely a design expediency, there being no drive connection between the nut and the cross member. It will be obvious, therefore, that the two muller wheels are free to float, or seek their own position according to load conditions, but are always under constant driving connection with the drive shaft 18 even though it is indirectly through the abutments 33 and pins 32. The freedom of movement provided permits the wheels to rise and fall individually or together. In addition, the construction permits the whole muller wheel assembly to be lifted out of the machine by the simple expediency of raising it.

T o facilitate the removal of the muller wheel assembly, a ring 34 is provided on the upper side of the cross memher at its center of gravity, this point being to one side of the hub 31. Preferably, a davit-like crane such as the one indicated generally by 35 in Figure l is provided as a part of the machine. In the instance shown the crane in cludes the hand cranked winch 36 which is mounted upon a standard 37 socketed in a base member 38. The latter member may include a tube 39 designed to receive the lower end of standard 37 and a plurality of webs 40 which serve as braces. The lower ends of the web and of the tube may be welded directly to the upper surface of the table 12. The upper end of the standard 37 is bent over and has a pulley 41 mounted at its outer end over which a cable 42 runs. The cable has a hook 43 which is designed to engage in the ring 34. When thus engaged, the hand operated winch may be used to lift the muller wheel assembly out of the mixing'box of the machine. Standard 37, being rotatably socketed in the tube 39, may then be swung to one side to place the muller wheel assembly in an out of the way position. The scraper blade assembly, being much lighter than the muller wheel assembly, may be lifted by hand from the machine after the removal of the nut 23.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a mulling machine having a work table, an opening in the center of said work table, a turret extending upwardly through said opening and terminating above said table,-a vertically disposed drive shaft rotatably journalled in said turret and extendingupwardly beyond the upper end thereof, a scraper blade assembly having a hub portion, means fe f st ning said hub p ion t the upp end of said drive shaft, a muller wheel assembly, said assembly including a pair of muller wheels, said wheels rotata'bly journalled at the opposite ends of a rigid, unitary cross member, said muller wheel assembly disposed with the respective wheels resting upon the table at opposite sides of said turret and with the unitary cross member extending over the hub portion of the scraper blade assembly and above'the upper end of said drive shaft, a pair of pins depending from the underside of said cross member in spaced relationship, an abutment on each side of said hub portion of the scraper blade assembly, the respective abutmentsengageable with the respective pins upon the rotation of the scraper blade assembly, said pins "and abutments constituting thesole driving connection between the scraper blade assembly and said cross mem ber, whereby the muller wheel assembly is free to adjust itself to load conditions without affecting the operation of said scraper blade assembly.

2. In a mulling machine, a circular work table, said work table having a central opening therein, a turret extending upwardly through said opening and terminating above said table, a vertically disposed drive shaft rotatably journalled within the turret and having the upper end thereof extending above said turret, a scraper blade assembly, said scraper blade assembly including a hub portion having a bore therein adapted to fit over the upper end of said drive shaft, means to rigidly fasten said hub portion to said drive shaft, a muller wheel assembly which is entirely independent of said scraper blade assembly, said muller wheel assembly including a rigid, unitary cross member having a pair of muller wheels rotatably journalled at. the opposite ends thereof, a pair of pins depending from the underside of said cross member in spaced parallel relationship, said muller wheel assembly disposed straddlewise of the hub portion of said scraper blade assembly with the two pins depending therefrom at the respective opposite sides of the hub portion of said scraper blade assembly, and abutment means on said hub portion adapted to engage the respective pins upon rotation of said hub to drive said muller wheel assembly, the latter named means constituting the sole driving connection for the muller wheel assembly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 538,884 Schierholz May 7, 1895 803,903 Johnston Nov. 7, 1905 1,115,591 Sears Nov. 3, 1914 2,413,603 Christensen Dec. 31, 1946 2,626,758 Scarlett Jan. 27, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 336,212 Great Britain Oct. 6, 1930 454,341 Germany 2 Jan. 5, 1928 

